Ramen Soup for the Soul
by Mists
Summary: With T.K.'s mom out on assignment and Kari stuck sick at home, T.K. and Davis end up studying at the Ishida's for a day. After all this time, will the two finally connect and become friends like Matt and Tai or will their friendship simply fall apart? Deep character exploration of Davis and T.K., takes place two months after the defeat of MaloMyotismon. Lots of drama and humor!
1. Lessons in Friendship

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Digimon. That's Toei Animation, not me. This fic has been a long time coming. Digimon 02 was the series that first got me into Fan Fiction. In fact, I first found this site while Digimon 02 was still premiering in America. I was frantically searching for good stories where Davis wasn't portrayed as a jerk. :P It took me a while to gather up the courage to post stories of my own, but eventually I became an author here. And with "Digimon Tri" just around the horizon, I felt it was now or never to write this. So this story is loosely based off of one idea I had long ago. Since even after all this time, there's hardly any T.K. and Davis friendship fics, I really wanted to take the time to write this.

It started as a one-shot, but pretty much became a three part story. The whole thing is already written out, and I'll be posting a new chapter once a week for the next two weeks. While this is being posted, I will be working on the first chapter of "Yes, Naruto, Propose!" for those of you waiting.

This takes place two months after the defeat of MaloMyotismon. Rated 'T' for like four swear words. Hope all of you like it! Now on with the fic!

* * *

 **~Ramen Soup for the Soul~**

 **~By: Mists~**

* * *

~Lessons in Friendship~

* * *

"Bye, Mom!" called out Davis as he hastily threw random books and pens into his backpack. "I'm going over to the Ishida's to study with T.S.!"

"T. _K_., Davis," she corrected from the kitchen. "Honestly, he's your friend. Can't you at least get his name right?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," mumbled Davis as he dug his hand under the couch searching for his other shoe.

"Why are you studying over at the Ishida's today?" Mrs. Motomiya asked in return.

"Kari's sick this week, and T.K.'s mom is out on assignment. So Matt and Mr. Ishida are letting him stay over," answered Davis as he dug further under the sofa.

"And _don't_ tell Jun I'm over there!" he stressed. "She'll use any excuse to try and see Matt!"

"I know, as if I would do that to the poor boy!" she exclaimed and then quickly added, "Remember to thank them for having you over. I'm so glad the three of you have started studying together. Your grades have really improved lately."

"Yeah, sure, Mom," Davis grumbled back absentmindedly.

When the goggle-head finally pulled out his hand, he unfortunately only found his calculator. With a quick shrug, he carelessly tossed it into his bag with the rest of his stuff.

"Ouch!" exclaimed DemiVeemon as he angrily popped out of the book bag. "Watch where you're throwin' stuff!"

"Oops, sorry man," Davis apologized with a sweatdrop as he scratched the back of his head. "Forgot you were in there."

"I'm almost always in here!" a red-faced DemiVeemon countered, while shaking a little blue fist at his friend.

"I know, I know, chill dude," pacified Davis, holding up his hands to his small friend. "You know I'll make it up to you."

"Well you better," warned the blue digimon with a small huff as he indignantly crossed his arms across his chest, "because I expect timely payment in the form of rocky road ice cream!"

Davis just snorted at this and shook his head. "Sure, whatever you say dude," replied Davis in a teasing tone.

The teen then decided to search behind the television and low and behold, found his lost shoe.

"Sweet! Finally!" Davis declared as he quickly slipped it on and tied it. He then leapt to his feet and grabbed the strap of his bag. "Eep!" squeaked DemiVeemon as fell backwards into Davis's books.

"Okay, I'm off, Mom," yelled the goggle-head as he ran towards the door. "I'll probably be back kinda late."

"Just be careful out there!" she called back. "I know you have DemiVeemon for protection, but you never know!"

"Yes, Mom," replied Davis with a sigh as he exaggeratedly rolled his eyes. "See yah!"

And with that, the goggle-head was off.

* * *

Meanwhile over at the Ishida's, T.K. was frantically running around the house trying to make it look presentable, and not the laid-back bachelor pad it usually was.

"T.K., seriously, it's just Davis. Why in the heck are you freaking out about cleaning up?" asked Matt as he looked up from reading a text on his flip-phone.

"Mom always says the 'who' doesn't matter, you just simply _should_ when someone comes to visit," responded T.K. as he threw a bunch of clothes into the hamper.

"You do realize most of those were clean, you know?" asked Matt with a sarcastic grin.

"Yes, because yours and Dad's system is very 'accurate,'" said T.K. making air quotes with his fingers.

"Hey," said Matt as he pointed to his nose, "never underestimate my sense of smell."

"Whatever," answered T.K. with a roll of his eyes. "How are Gabumon and Agumon doing in Primary Village?"

"Good," replied Matt with a smile. "Elecmon's really grateful for their help with the influx of new digimon being born."

"Cool," said T.K. as he found another loose sock. "And you've got band practice tonight, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be back kinda late, I guess," the blond rocker responded with a shrug. "Dad's picking me up after work."

"Davis will probably be here pretty late, too," replied T.K. with a slight frown. "Especially since Kari isn't here to help rein him in."

Matt snorted at this. "Yeah, well she is hoping to become a teacher, right? Having a nearly endless supply of patience comes with the territory."

"I suppose..." answered T.K. with a laboring sigh. In truth, he was much more concerned about the fact that Kari wasn't going to be there to act as a buffer between he and Davis. Even after all they had been through, T.K. still felt a bit _distant_ from the goggle-head as a friend. Honestly, their first meeting hadn't helped the matter, when Davis used to butt into his conversations with Kari every chance he got. Acting overly obnoxious and possessive about someone, doesn't leave a good first impression.

"Grr..." grumbled T.K. under his breath as he went back to collecting the laundry. "Sometimes he still rubs me the wrong way."

And it took a _lot_ to spark T.K.'s ire. But then again if Davis was one thing, it was definitely persistent.

"T.K.?" questioned Matt, noticing his brother's odd behavior. "You okay?"

" _Why does Matt always seem to know?"_ thought T.K. ruefully. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he inquired back with a tense smile.

"Takeru, it's me," stated Matt coldly as he put his phone away in his pocket. "Cut the crap, will you?"

The blond rocker, then kicked the chair next to him to slide out from under the table. "Now sit your butt down and tell me what's eating you," he demanded, watching his brother with determination in his blue eyes.

"Fine!" conceded T.K. as he walked over and plopped down into the offered seat. "It's just... still _complicated_... between Davis and I. And honestly... I don't know what to do to make it better, Matt."

"What'd yah mean?" asked the blond rocker with a concerned frown.

"I don't know how to explain it," confessed T.K. with a shake of his head. "But there's still this disconnect and I haven't a clue how to bridge it."

Matt just sat there quietly, allowing his brother to continue.

"I mean, sometimes Davis _still_ gets under my skin. Like how he never seems to take anything seriously! He just shrugs problems off like it's nothing. It's like he has the emotional depth of a kiddie pool most days! And then when Kari's not here, we just end up lashing out and biting each others heads off!" yelled T.K., looking at his brother desperately. "Everybody keeps saying we act like you and Tai used to. And I thought that by _now_ , we'd have something like that... and we _don't_ and I just..." drifted off T.K., letting his last sentence hang in the air unfinished.

Matt simply reached out and placed a supportive hand on Takeru's shoulder.

"T.K.," said Matt deadly serious, "I want you to listen to me, and listen good."

"Okay..." he replied uncertainly.

"The first thing you have to do... is _stop_ underestimating Davis," said his brother with absolute certainty.

"I, what?!"

"You're letting the mask fool you, T.K. And if you continue to let it, your friendship will never go beyond this point," stated Matt with a frown.

"Mask?" asked T.K. incredulously. "What, mask? Davis wears all his emotions out there for everyone to see."

"Does he now?" inquired Matt with a raised eyebrow. "Well that's news to me..."

"Matt, seriously, I haven't a clue what you're talking about," said Takeru with an exasperated sigh.

"He fooled me at first, too, T.K." admitted Matt solemnly. "So I wouldn't beat yourself up over it. I get the feeling... he's gotten _very_ good at it over the years."

"Matt-" growled T.K. in irritation, having come to the end of his massive amount of patience.

Matt stared at his brother for a moment in thought, before finally asking, "T.K., who do you see when you look at me?"

"I- w-what?" stammered Takeru in confusion.

"When most people meet me, they think I'm cold and dismissive. So I'm asking you, do you think that's the real me?"

"I- of course not!" shouted T.K. in shock. "But what does-"

"Everyone doesn't wear the same type of mask, T.K.," explained Matt simply.

"So wait, what are you saying?" challenged back Takeru.

"I'm saying that Davis is a lot more like me, than you _realize_. He did inherit my crest after all... And from what I've seen, he does certainly deserve it."

"But, _**Matt-**_ " exclaimed T.K. as his brother's cell suddenly buzzed to life in his pocket. The blond rocker pulled the phone out of his pants, flipped it open, and checked the message.

After a few seconds, Matt closed it again and said, "Sorry, T.K., but I have to get going. The band is waiting for me."

"But you still haven't told me what to do!" exclaimed T.K., throwing up his hands in frustration.

"I'll leave you with just one more thing," said Matt as he grabbed his guitar case hanging off the back of his chair. "Do you really think Davis could have reached Ken and brought him back to our side, if that was all there was to him?"

"I..." whispered T.K. clearly stunned. He had never thought about it like that. But it was true... Ken always said that he owed Davis everything... but never really the reason _why._

As Matt headed toward the door, he added, "Ken and I had a little talk when we were in Mexico. You and Davis are a lot like oil and water, but deep down you both care about the same things."

He then turned the doorknob and stepped out into the hall, concluding, "Davis just goes about it in a different way. Stop fighting with him so much and really _listen_ to the things he says... But especially to the things he _doesn't_ say. Because let me tell you, when I finally did, I learned a lot."

And with that, Matt closed the door behind him, leaving T.K. alone to ponder his words.

* * *

As Davis made his way to the Ishida's apartment complex, he thought about many things. Mostly about the recent talk he had with Ken about his relationship with T.K.

" _If you really want it to get better, Davis, you're going to have open up more," explained Ken as he passed the soccer ball to his friend._

" _Yeah, yeah, I know," huffed the goggle-head as he accepted the pass and ran towards the net. "It's just- not as easy- to talk to T.P.-"_

 _Davis then launched the ball at the goal. "As it is with you," he finished with a gasp of breath._

" _Nice shot," complemented Ken as he ran up and placed a supportive hand on Davis's shoulder._

" _Listen Davis, the two of us are Fusion partners, so of course forming a friendship was easier for us," pointed out Ken gently._

" _I know, but what if-" replied Davis hesitantly as he glanced away. Only Veemon, Kari and Ken really knew his true self, and in the past, Davis had been burned by friendship many times before. It was_ _ **hard**_ _to let people in after... well anyway._

" _Davis, look at me," said Ken sincerely._

 _With a small sigh, Davis turned and faced his friend again._

" _You are the bravest person I know," he whispered, causing Davis to furiously blush in return. "You can face this, and the only way you'll be able to get closer to T.K. is if you open up first."_

" _Yeah, and why's that?" asked Davis with an embarrassed snort._

" _Because if there's one thing you both have in common, it's being stubborn as hell," replied Ken with a satisfied smirk. "And since he won't be the first one to do it,_ _ **you're**_ _going to have to."_

"Damn it," said Davis with a sigh as he continued walking. He really didn't want to be the one to take the first step. He didn't tell Ken, but the truth was Davis still found T.K. a bit... well... _intimidating_.

The goggle-head always felt like the blond was looking down on him or judging him. It didn't help that on the surface, T.K. seemed so freaking perfect. The dang 'Golden Boy,' who just did everything right, and had everything Davis had ever wanted fall right into his lap. He had a brother who clearly adored him, got great grades with barely any effort, was a star of the basketball court. Not to mention, that T.K. hardly ever lost his temper or was ignored by the other students in their class. And if Davis was truly honest with himself... a part of him was still jealous of T.K. for simply being all the things he wasn't.

And that was the biggest hurtle Davis had to overcome. But how could he get past that?

"Maybe the first step is apologizing about the way I acted around him and Kari," pondered Davis aloud as he stared down at his feet. He knew now what an ass he had been back then, and Davis had already asked Kari for forgiveness years ago. The google-head knew she had never been his, but... he had just been so scared of losing his only friend that he...

Davis bit his lip as he tightened his grip on the strap of his book bag.

"Hey, Davis?" asked DemiVeemon as he popped his head up out of the bag. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," replied Davis, trying to push away those negative thoughts.

"No, you're not. I can tell," insisted the blue digimon as he rested his head on Davis's shoulder. "Is it about T.K., again?"

Davis simply grunted in reply.

"Yeah, it's T.K.," reaffirmed DemiVeemon as he nodded his head in certainty. "The only time you get this grumpy is when you're thinking about him."

Davis only grumbled and quickened his pace walking.

"I really don't understand what's wrong with you guys. Patamon and I are great friends! Why can't the two of you, be too?" asked DemiVeemon with a frown.

"It's just... a bit more complicated for us," admitted Davis as he came to an abrupt halt and stared up at the Ishida's apartment building with determined eyes. "But I'm going to try, and hopefully... T.K.'s willing to as well."

* * *

T.K. had just finished shoving the last of the empty takeout boxes into the garbage, when the doorbell repeatedly rang.

The blond simply rolled his eyes. Why did Davis have to be such a goofball all the time?

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" called T.K. as he swept up one last stray sock and shoved it into his pocket.

The person at the door then switched from the bell to the knocker, yelling, "Yo! T.C., you in there?" After which, then started back on the bell again.

"Grrr!" growled T.K. as Patamon laughed atop his head, saying, "I love how Davis is the only one who can breakthrough your calm exterior."

"Oh, quiet up there in the bat-wing gallery!" exclaimed T.K. with a poke to Patamon's side.

This just made the digimon giggle even more. "If I'm a bat, then technically wouldn't I be in your belfry?"

"Hush up, you! If anyone's crazy around here, it's clearly Davis," teased T.K. with a smirk as he made his way toward the door.

"No, no, he's the _cause_ of insanity," corrected Patamon with a shake of his head. "And trust me, that's a very big difference."

"Whatever you say, Patamon," replied T.K. with a snort as he pulled open the door.

"There you are!" exclaimed Davis as he quickly ducked into the apartment. "Felt like we were waiting out there for hours!"

"Hi, T.K.!" shouted DemiVeemon as he hopped up and down in Davis's bag. "Hi, Patamon!"

"Yeah, well, I kinda wanted to clean up a bit before you got here," said T.K. embarrassedly as he scratched the back of his head. "It looked like a bomb hit it. I'm warning you now; if something pops out of nowhere and eats you, I take no responsibility for it."

Davis just snorted at this and replied, "Yeah, sure thing man... You _do_ know you didn't have to do all that for me, right? Messy stuff like this doesn't bother me..."

"Yeah, I know," said T.K. with a shrug. "Just... kinda wanted to."

" _Why_ _ **did**_ _I do all this? Was it really because of Mom, or did I want to impress him?"_ thought T.K. as he waved Davis into the kitchen.

"You're so weird sometimes," laughed Davis a little awkwardly as he followed and plopped his school bag on the table.

"Well, look who's talking," the blond countered as Patamon flew off T.K.'s head and swooped down to grab DemiVeemon from inside Davis's backpack.

"Gahh! Flying golden pig attack!" cried DemiVeemon as he tried to hide deeper in Davis's school supplies.

"'Flying golden pig!'" yelled Patamon indignantly."Just for that, you're getting twice the tickle attack!"

"AHHH! _NO!_ ANYTHING BUT THAT!" screamed DemiVeemon dramatically as he leapt up out of the bag, and ran off into another room.

Patamon immediately flew off in hot pursuit of his quarry.

"You guys have fun, but keep it down, okay? We're going to be studying in here!" called T.K. at their retreating backs.

"We know!" they both replied in return, before breaking off into fits of giggles.

"Yeah, T.J., you _really_ showed them," teased Davis with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Eh, shut it, you! Let's just get started," grumbled back the blond as he opened up his textbook and quickly got down to work.

* * *

About an hour and a half later, Davis threw down his pencil in frustration. "Gahh! I don't get this, T.A.! Math's just too _hard!_ "

T.K.'s eye twitched for a second, as Davis once again got his name wrong, before he replied, "Look, it's _easy_ you just have to-"

"No! Stop right there!" Davis declared. "It may be easy for you, but it _isn't_ for me, man. Just because I don't get it doesn't mean I'm stupid."

"I never said-" responded T.K. in annoyance. He really hadn't meant it that way. Was that the way it sounded to Davis?

"Oh, never mind!" he exclaimed and angrily crossed his arms over his chest. "When the heck am I ever going to need this in real life anyway?"

"Well... you said you wanted to start a noodle cart, right? You've got to use math in order to handle the finances..." added T.K. uncertainly.

"Yeah, basic math, not this crap!" complained Davis, brandishing the worksheet in his right hand.

The goggle-head then let out a sigh and slapped the paper back down onto the table. Davis then proceeded to lament, "I wish Kari was here. She always finds a way to explain it so I'd understand."

"Yeah, me too," agreed T.K. with a sad sigh as well. Without Kari, the two of them never seemed to quite work. "She really is good at that. She'll make a great teacher one day..."

"Yes, she sure will..." whispered back Davis, as he stared out the kitchen window in thought.

After a few moments of silence, the goggle-head finally spoke up again, "Hey... T.L.? Can I ask you something?"

"You just did, and you were only off by one letter in my name that time, good for you," replied the blond in a condescending tone.

"Yeah, yeah, always so literal," complained Davis with a roll of his eyes.

"What did you want to ask, Davis?" inquired T.K. with a dramatic sigh.

"Well... you saw Kari yesterday, right?" asked Davis almost... hesitantly.

" _Odd,"_ thought T.K. with a blink of his eyes as he replied, "Yeah, Matt and I went over with our father, why?"

"It's just... did she seem- alright to you?" questioned Davis in a serious tone. One that T.K. rarely ever heard from the other teen.

"Well... yeah, why wouldn't she be?"

"I mean, you don't think she's becoming _sick_ , sick, right?" asked the goggle-head nervously.

"Sick, sick?" teased T.K. with a strained grin. "Is that a technical term?"

"I'm being serious, man," stated Davis coldly. "Did she seem unwell or not?"

"Davis, honestly, she seemed fine to me. Kari hasn't gotten sick like that in _years,_ " stressed T.K. as he saw how really worried he was.

"I know, but that doesn't mean it can't happen again," replied Davis with raw concern as he wrung his hands together.

"Look... I've seen Kari _really_ sick before, when we were all trapped in the Digital World. It's nothing like that, trust me," reassured T.K., trying to calm him. "Kari's tough, she wouldn't want you worrying about her like this."

This unfortunately had the opposite affect on Davis, he slammed his hands loudly onto the table and said, "Well excuse me for caring about my _friend!_ I may not have been there with all of you that time, but let me tell you something! Seeing Kari breathing through a tube, while hooked up to a sporadic heart monitor is no cakewalk either!"

T.K.'s eyes went wide. When on earth had Kari been _that_ sick? She never told him!

Seeing T.K.'s shocked face finally snapped Davis out of his anger and looked horrified at what he had just done.

"Dude, I-"

"When was she that sick?" asked T.K. coldly.

"I-"

"When!" demanded T.K. as he stared Davis down. "Tai... or even _Matt_ never-"

"That's because Matt doesn't even know," groaned Davis, knowing he had just let the dang cat out of the bag. "Nobody, but Kari's family and mine know... She just- it all just hit her so _fast._ I went to see her everyday when she was in the hospital. After she got better, she made all of us promise to never tell another soul. She didn't want to be seen as burden."

"Davis... I-"

"Please, don't tell Kari that I told you," he begged, looking at T.K. desperately. "She'll never forgive me!"

"Davis... of course I won't tell her," replied T.K. full of sincerity. "Your secret is safe with me. I promise."

"Thanks T.C., I appreciate it," said Davis with a relieved sigh.

T.K. simply clicked his tongue disapprovingly at him and commented, "If you truly were, it would be a nice gesture to at least _attempt_ to get my name right."

"You're right, my apologizes..." corrected Davis as his grin became positively wicked, "Takeru."

T.K.'s eyes went cold as he leapt up from his chair and dove at Davis.

"Yikes!" yelped the goggle-head in surprise as he ran from the normally docile blond. "And you say, I'm the one with issues!"

"Get back here and take your tickle punishment, Daisuke!" cackled T.K. as he ran after Davis in a friendly chase.

"Hey! Those are fighting words, man!" laughed Davis as he merrily dodged his friend like a soccer pro.

Patamon and DemiVeemon then came out from the other room and decided to join in the fun as well.

The four tumbled around on the carpet like a couple of preschoolers, and Davis and DemiVeemon had actually gotten a hold of T.K.'s hat for a while.

Once they were all done goofing around, Davis and T.K. plopped back into their chairs and once again, got grudgingly back to work.

* * *

 **To Be Continued...**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, there you have it guys! Part 1 is complete and only 2 more left to go. I really hope all of you liked it. Even if I get barely any feedback from it, I'm glad I finally took the time to write it. Please let me know what you thought! It will really make me super happy to know I brought you all joy. Thanks for taking the time to check this out. More to come soon!

 **Always remember to read, fav, and/or review!**


	2. The Fridge of Horrors

**Disclaimer:** I don't own *sings* Digi-mon, Digital Monsters Digi-volve into Champions! This is just written for fun, nostalgia, and to bring others enjoyment. Here's to hoping that "Digimon Tri" turns out awesome. I really need to watch Seasons 4-7 completely back to back. Especially Season 4, because there are some great characters in that. Thanks to all of you so much for your wonderful reviews! I honestly didn't think I was going to get this many on this story. *Hugs* Thanks especially to my guest reviewers who I can't PM a personal thank you to: Lady Aoi-chan thanks for the amazing review! Totally warmed my heart and to Anon, who I hopefully can make a Davis fan by the end of this LOL! Thank you all so very much, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

And now, onto Part 2!

* * *

~The Fridge of Horrors~

* * *

"Welp! I think it's time for a break," declared Davis as he stretched out his back after another hour of work.

"Davis, come on, we've barely done anything at all," scolded the blond with a disapproving frown.

"Oh, please," replied the goggle-head. "We're caught up for at least the next two days of work. Relax a little, will yah?"

"Well I guess..." relented T.K. as he warily looked back at the unfinished pile.

"Besides, I'm hungry. It's brain food time!" exclaimed Davis as Patamon and DemiVeemon suddenly appeared out of nowhere and simultaneously asked, "Did somebody say, _food?_ "

"GAHH!" screamed Davis as he flipped backward out of his chair.

T.K. had to hold a hand over his mouth to help contain his laughter. Sometimes Davis just had the silliest antics.

"Don't _ever_ do that again," Davis warned as he dusted himself off and made his way over to the fridge.

Patamon and DemiVeemon snickered at him behind their tiny paws for a second before DemiVeemon burst out, "Oooo! Oooo! Davis! Does that mean you're going to cook something? I sure hope so! That noodle dish you made last time was so super yummy!"

"It was?" asked Patamon with wide-eyes. "Davis, can I have some, too?"

"Now hold on guys," said Davis with a bit of a sweatdrop. He could feel T.K.'s eyes on him. Honestly, the goggle-head was a little nervous about cooking for anyone other than he and DemiVeemon. It took a lot of failures to get something right in the kitchen, and he really didn't want to screw up in front of his friend. They actually seemed to be getting along pretty well today without Kari. And he was really hoping it would last.

"I have no idea what's in the fridge," explained Davis as he reached out for said appliance's handle.

"So let me check what we have to work with and then-" Davis abruptly stopped mid-sentence and stood frozen, staring in horror at the inside of the refrigerator.

 _ **SLAM!**_

Went the door forcefully closed again. Davis immediately placed his back protectively against it, as if trying to hold whatever was in there at bay. The normally courageous goggle-head looked terrified.

T.K. quickly jumped up from his seat in response. "Davis what-"

"Dude!" he whispered, staring at T.K. in horror. "I think your dad is holding a Numemon hostage in there!"

"What?" asked T.K. with a confused frown.

"The thing is lime _freaking_ green and I swear I saw it move!" hissed Davis as T.K. approached the refrigerator door.

"Oh, come on," said the blond skeptically as he reached up for the handle. "I know Dad and Matt aren't the cleanest of people, but really..."

"Dude, seriously!" stressed Davis as he pushed away from the door. "I think I know a Numemon when I see one!"

T.K. then pulled open the door. "You're exaggerat-"

And froze staring at the green, gelatinous blob that sat inside the Tupperware resting on the middle shelf of the fridge.

T.K. just stood there for a second... and blinked, when plastic container suddenly twitched to life with a _Rattle! Rattle!_

 _ **SLAM!**_

T.K. propped his back against the door just as Davis had.

"See!" the goggle-head insisted pointing at the fridge. "It totally moved!"

"Uh... _maybe_ we should just order takeout..." conceded the blond as he inched away from the refrigerator, _slowly._

Davis simply snorted. "Nah, that's okay, T.S. I've got it covered. Let me just call Yolei."

He then pulled out his cell phone and dialed their friend's number.

 _BRRING!_

"What do you want, Davis? I'm kind of busy at the moment," was Yolei's _cheerful_ voice in reply.

"Well _'hello'_ to you, too!" snapped Davis sarcastically. "Look Yolei, just prepare my usual pick up. I'm going to cook up some food for me and T.M."

"That's 'T. _ **K**_ _._ and I,' Davis," corrected Yolei in a condescending tone.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. We'll be by the store in a few. See you soon! Thanks!" said Davis happily as he quickly hung up on her.

"Dav-"

 _Click!_

"Okay, so Yolei should have all my ingredients ready for us by the time we get there," he stated in a confidant tone.

"She's going to kill you when we show up. You know that, right?" commented T.K. with a smirk.

"Ehhh... what else is new?" questioned Davis with a careless shrug.

"YAY! Ramen soup! Ramen soup!" chanted DemiVeemon as he ran around the room excited. It wasn't long before Patamon merrily joined in, flying after DemiVeemon in circles.

"Okay, you two!" T.K. pacifically held up his hands. "We're going. Have fun while we're gone. We'll be back soon."

* * *

And with that, T.K. and Davis started their long trek to Yolei's family store. For a while, the pair walked in relative silence.

" _Now's the time, Davis,"_ echoed Ken's voice eerily inside his head. _"You'll never have a better opportunity, than right now!"_

"Stupid conscience. Why's it always sound like Ken?" mumbled Davis to himself as he walked.

"You say something?" asked T.K. with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh... well _kinda._ See- there's um... something I sorta wanted to talk to you about," stammered out Davis nervously.

"Okay... I'm all ears, spill."

"Well... this is kinda hard for me to say, but... Okay, I'll just spit it out it... I'm sorry, man," he forced out with a flinch.

"All right..." uttered T.K. confused, clearly needing more clarification, "but for _what_ exactly?"

"Just well... a _lot_ things, really," confessed Davis with a sigh as he stopped walking, and turned to face his friend. "Look, just... don't say anything until I'm done. This is hard enough for me as it is."

T.K. simply stared at him for a moment, and then slowly nodded for Davis to go ahead.

"So... where to start... I guess back to the very beginning. The first day we met, I automatically didn't like you because well, _Kari..._ "

"Davis, you don't have to-" interrupted T.K., but the goggle-head stopped him with a nod of his head.

"Yeah, actually, I think I do..." Davis answered solemnly. "And you promised just to listen, remember?"

"Okay..."

Davis then rubbed a hand over his face for a second before he continued, "I apologized to Kari for all of that long ago... but I never really did to you... and I've regretted it for a while now."

T.K. simply stood there and watched Davis with wide-eyes, stunned.

"The thing is that, it wasn't so much I felt you were taking away my girlfriend, dude... It was really more... about you taking away my first _friend_ ," admitted Davis with a laboring sigh.

" _ **First**_ _friend? But wasn't Davis already pretty old when he moved here and befriended Kari?"_ thought T.K. as an echo of a long forgotten memory hit him...

" _Or maybe it's meant for the person with the fewest friends, like me..."_

Davis had phrased it as a joke that day... but T.K. was now wondering just how many truths Davis passed off as jokes in order to better deal with them.

"Yeah, man, _first._ You heard me right," confirmed the goggle-head with a piercingly cold stare that T.K. had never seen Davis wear before. It almost kinda reminded him of... _Matt_. "I'm not like you, dude. I don't make friends easily."

And then it hit him, _that's_ what Matt meant. The facade Matt always wears is of the cold, uncaring cynic. But deep down, he's the warmest, most caring person in the world. When Matt was younger, his mask was like his shield. It always sprang up when people got too close. Over the years, Matt had been hurt a lot by people taking advantage of his kind nature. So he began using an exterior persona to protect himself from the pain. Lately, his brother had gotten better at letting people in, but Matt's mask was still very much a part of him.

And now he finally saw it, Davis was doing the same _exact_ thing. The only difference being that while Matt's facade was ice cold, Davis's was red, burning hot. He was the loud, brash, goofball who overreacted over the smallest thing. But when it came to big decisions, negativity and doubt slid right off of him, like water off a duck's back.

T.K. could see it for what it really was now, a defense mechanism. Davis used his humor and surface emotions to stop others from digging deeper, his intense personality was _meant_ to push people away. He didn't want to leave an opening for others to find and reject the real him.

 _"Aw... crap,"_ thought T.K. as he said aloud, "Davis-"

The goggle-head merely held up his hand in a stopping motion and said, "Nope, not done yet."

T.K. simply sighed, rolled his eyes, and gestured for him to continue.

"Kari... was the only person who _ever_ reached out to me. I- when I first moved here, she could just tell how lonely I was... We did, well pretty much everything together, and yeah, as the years went by... I started to think of her as _mine._ And I know now that's wrong, but honestly at the time... Kari was pretty much my entire world..."

T.K. just stared at his friend sadly.

"We used to tell each other _everything..._ And then suddenly, right out of the blue, this blond guy with a goofy hat shows up. Who apparently, might I add, has been friends with Kari for _years_ and she never _told_ me," explained Davis as he looked at T.K. with pleading eyes, almost _desperate_ him to understand.

"I know _now_ that's because of the digimon, but... when it first happened, I just felt terribly hurt and betrayed. And since I couldn't bring myself to take it out on Kari... well, I kinda took it out on you," admitted Davis in a depressed tone. "Everything always seemed so _easy_ for you, from sports to getting good grades. It looked like you put in no effort at all! You have a great relationship with your brother, unlike me and Jun. On the outside your life seemed so perfect. I know better _now_ , but there are still times I feel a little jealous of you."

"I'm not trying to make excuses for the way I acted, dude. I just wanted you to understand," professed Davis with a painful sigh. "And well that's what I'm sorry for... T.K."

T.K. immediately froze upon hearing this, staring at his friend in complete shock.

"There, now, go ahead and say whatever you want," declared Davis almost bracingly, as if he was preparing himself for anything.

But the only thing T.K. could think to say was... "You actually got my name right." And it spilled out of his mouth before he could even stop it.

"I- just, _seriously dude?!_ After all I- you know what, never mind, forget it," yelled Davis as he threw up his hands and stomped off in a huff.

" _Oops,"_ thought T.K. with a sweatdrop, _"Probably not the best thing to say after all of that."_

"Hey, Davis!" called T.K. as he took off after him at a run. "Come on, wait up! I didn't mean it like that! You just took me completely by surprise with all this!"

T.K. saw Davis's shoulders tense for a moment and then droop as he turned back around to face him.

The blond held his knees as he gasped a little out of breath. "Man, you're fast. Look Davis... I know that took a lot for you to say... and well... I'm sorry, too."

"Wait, what?" asked Davis in surprise, that was definitely not one of the responses he had expected. "What are _you_ apologizing for?"

"Well... I wasn't exactly the kindest to you either..." confessed T.K. solemnly. "I just thought you were some love-sick jerk trying to push himself onto Kari. I didn't realize until much later just how close you two were before I came."

"Oh, okay…" said Davis as he started idly kicking at the dirt on the side of the road.

"And well…" continued T.K. hesitantly.

Davis had trusted him enough to open up, it was only fair that he do the same. "There have been times where I've been kinda jealous of you, too."

"What? A-Are you serious?" asked Davis with a look of disbelief as he thought, _"What the heck do I have, that T.K. would be jealous of?"_

"You're always so confident," admitted T.K. with a sigh. "I really wish I could be more like that. I second and third guess everything I do. And there's also, well…"

"It's okay, man. Go on," encouraged Davis in a hushed tone.

"When… um… you got Matt's crest," confessed T.K. as he felt a huge weight finally lift off his shoulders. "When I was a kid, Matt was my idol. I wanted to be exactly like him when I grew up. And when the Digi-Egg of Friendship appeared, I automatically thought it was meant for me. But when I grabbed it, no matter how hard I tried, the thing just wouldn't _move._ It felt like the crest had rejected me, that I wasn't good enough to be Matt's successor. And then… well, _you_ got it instead. That's one of the reasons I was so hostile towards you that day."

"I… dude, I don't know what to say," replied Davis, clearly stunned.

"You don't have to say anything," said T.K. with a shake of his head. "I was the one being stupid. Matt was right, you really do deserve the Crest of Friendship."

"I… _Matt_ , said that about _me_?" asked Davis in shock. "And you're sure he wasn't being sarcastic?"

T.K. just snorted at this. "Yeah, he made that pretty clear," the blond confirmed. "And once again, honestly Davis, I'm sorry for the way I acted, too."

Davis glanced down sadly at this. "It's okay. I mean, it's all in the past, right?" the goggle-head asked with a rueful smirk.

"True... but apparently it's still affecting both of us," T.K. replied with a serious frown.

"So what do you think we should do?"

"Well, why don't we agree to start over? Sound fair?" suggested the blond with a shrug and an offered hand of friendship.

Davis simply stared at him for a brief moment, before a full grin spread across his face. The goggle-head then enthusiastically reached out and shook it.

"Deal," Davis said with a merry laugh. He then sarcastically asked, "Now, since we just met... What was your name again?"

"AHH! That's it Davis! I'm taking you down!" cried T.K. as he released Davis's hand and chased him the whole rest of the way to Yolei's family store.

* * *

 **To Be Continued...**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** One more chapter down and one left to go! And before anyone asks, yes, you will find out what's really in the fridge! LOL! It was a little shorter than the last chapter, but I felt it had enough of an emotional impact that I could allow it to stand on it's own. I've wanted to write that talk out for like, _ever_. I'm quite proud of how it turned out. Hope everyone is enjoying this story as much as I am. One more week until the last chapter, and trust me, I've got a nice finale planned, so please stay tuned! **Please remember to read, fav, and review!** Those three small things really help inspire and fuel an author's muse!

More to come soon!


	3. Food for Thought

**Disclaimer:** If you've read the last two chapters, then you should already know by now that I don't own Digimon. This is written for all the fans out there who always wanted, but never received a scene like this in the animated series. And I just wanted to say that the reason I'm focusing so much on Davis up to this point is because we know what drives T.K., but the show never went into much detail about Davis's motivations. There's a good amount of stuff for T.K. fans coming up, so just wait for it.

And now for the grand finale, please enjoy!

* * *

~Food for Thought~

* * *

It took the duo a little over an hour to walk to the store and back, while also trying to escape Yolei's wrath.

She was none too pleased that Davis had neglected to tell her that they were going to be traveling from _Matt's_ place, instead of T.K.'s. Yolei had rushed to get Davis's order ready, thinking that they would arrive in only a few minutes. When the idiots finally showed up almost a half-hour later, she was pretty steamed!

The two of them quickly apologized and made off with their purchase before Yolei could throw anymore rotten produce at them.

Once back at the apartment, the pair plopped the groceries down on the counter and Davis quickly got to work. T.K. itched nervously at his hands as he watched the goggle-head begin to slice up the vegetables. He kind of felt guilty, just standing there doing nothing.

"You sure there's nothing I can do?" asked T.K., eyeing the ingredients uncertainly.

"Well... you could probably cut up the green onions, I guess," suggested Davis, pointing to them with his left hand.

"Cool, thanks." The blond rolled up his sleeves and quickly got to work.

As Davis began cooking down the vegetables, T.K. watched over his shoulder in awe.

"Wow, you're really good at this," he commented with a fair amount of shock.

"You don't have to sound so surprised, you know?" Davis bit back with a small frown.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that..." said T.K., realizing he had stuck his foot in his mouth again. He seemed to be doing that a lot today. "It's just, why did you decide to take an interest in cooking of all things? You never really told me."

Davis looked at him curiously, as if he had never expected T.K. to care enough to ask.

"Well... honestly it didn't start out that way," explained the goggle-head as he stirred the vegetables in the frying pan. "It all began with me thinking about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. And the only thing I could think of was that in some way, I wanted to help people..."

T.K. simply raised a eyebrow at him and then glanced questioningly down at the food he was preparing.

Davis snorted at this and with a shake of his head continued, "Trust me, it's connected. See at first, I wanted to become a psychologist..."

The blond just stared at him stunned.

"But I'm not smart enough, I know that," stated Davis with a small regretful frown. "So I thought long and hard about it, and then one day _Zap!_ I got this idea."

Davis turned off the burner and tossed the vegetables into the cooking broth. "The only time my family ever really gets together and talks is at the table."

"Wait, so-" said T.K. as he started to get the idea of where his friend was going with this.

Davis simply nodded as he checked on the pot of water he had set to boil. "The more I thought about it, the more I realized that _everyone_ has to eat. And when they do, they are more willing to open up with others around them, because something is shared."

"Wow, Davis... that statement was almost _profound!_ " exclaimed T.K. with a teasing grin.

"What'd yah mean _almost_?" complained the goggle-head with a smile. "That was totally like Apollo level of philosophy."

"I think you mean Aristotle or Plato, Davis," corrected T.K. with a small sweatdrop. "Maybe it is a good thing you decided to go with cooking."

Davis grumbled to himself as he vigorously stirred the broth pot.

"Sorry, couldn't resist," apologized T.K. with a light laugh.

"Oh, hush up, you," snapped Davis as he gave his friend a playful shove to the side. "So anyway, yeah. Then I thought, what's a food pretty much everyone loves? And there you have it! The birth of my noodle cart!"

As Davis started to mix together the dough for the noodles, T.K. pondered about his life and where he was going. He never thought that Davis of all people would already have a career plan. If T.K. was honest with himself, he was good at a lot of things. But was there any subject that he was passionate enough about to fully commit himself to? That was a tough choice.

"You know... you're really lucky, Davis," confessed T.K. with a sigh as he pulled out a kitchen chair and sat down. "I haven't a clue what I want to do with the rest of my life."

Davis paused for a moment hearing this and turned his full attention toward T.K. "Dude? Are you serious? You're good at tons of things!"

"I know," grumbled the blond as he glanced away from his friend. "That's the problem. I'm 'good' at them, but I don't _'excel'_ at any of them. There's nothing in my life that really captures my interest and drives me."

"Hmm," said Davis in thought as he started rolling out the dough. "I don't know what to tell you man. I always thought you were going to become a writer."

"Wait, what?" asked T.K. with a look of surprise. "Why would you think that?"

"Oh, come on, dude. The only time I've ever really seen you proud of something is when the teacher reads one of your papers aloud to the class," offered Davis with a sly smile. "Your stuff is really good. It even grabs _my_ attention, and that's pretty hard to do."

"Huh... I guess I never thought about it before," admitted T.K. with a thoughtful look. "It's always something I've just naturally done for fun. I never even thought about making a career out of it."

"Well, you should," encouraged Davis as he went back to rolling out the noodles. "Besides, creative careers run in your family. Your mom's a newspaper reporter, your dad works in television, and Matt's in a band. I think if any family would be supportive of it, yours would."

"I- huh... Thanks, Davis. I'll think about it," promised the blond with a small grin.

"Ooooo! I can smell it!" came the cheerful chirp of DemiVeemon as the scent of ramen cooking had finally drawn the two digimon out from hiding. "Is it almost ready, Davis? Is it? Is it?"

"Oh, wow!" squeaked Patamon happily. "You weren't kidding DemiVeemon, that does smell amazing!"

"I told you so! Davis is the best Noodle Chef, ever!" declared the blue digimon proudly as he stared up at his friend with wide-eyes of admiration.

"Can we have some?" asked Patamon as he landed on Davis's head so he could peer over into the boiling pot.

"Yeah! Yeah! Can we?" repeated DemiVeemon excitedly as he hopped up and down next to the stove.

"Almost!" exclaimed Davis as he tried to swat Patamon away and keep DemiVeemon from crawling up is leg. "Jeeze! Calm down you two!"

T.K. let out merry laugh as he called the two excited digimon to him, "All right you guys, let Davis finish up his work. In the meantime, let's setup the table for dinner."

Davis simply mouthed 'thank you' to him as the digimon scampered off with T.K. to 'help.'

* * *

"Ta-dah! All right, everybody dig in!" exclaimed Davis as he broke his chopsticks apart and immediately started chowing down.

"Oh my gosh!" squealed Patamon in sheer delight. "It's everything I hoped for!"

"I know, right?" said DemiVeemon as he finished his bowl with a loud _slurp!_ "Davis, I'm done. Can I have some more?"

DemiVeemon looked at Davis with his big puppy-dog eyes pleadingly.

"Dude! I've only had one bite!" said Davis annoyed. "Give me a sec, okay?!"

"If DemiVeemon gets seconds, then so do I!" demanded Patamon as he nudged his empty bowl toward Davis with his head.

T.K. just laughed behind his hand at the three's wild antics. He was so focused on watching them that he hadn't taken a bite of his food.

Then, suddenly, all three turned to him with expectant looks.

"So... uh, how do you like it dude?" asked Davis almost nervously.

"Oh, sorry," apologized T.K. with a sweatdrop. "I was so busy enjoying the show, I didn't even have a chance to taste it yet."

"T.K., if you don't gobble up that soup right now, I'm confiscating it," commanded Patamon with a deadly serious glare.

"Agreed, totally the ten-second-rule," added DemiVeemon nodding his head in agreement.

"Dude, that's only for stuff that fell on the floor, not left on the table," pointed out Davis with a groan.

"Eh, same difference," replied the blue digimon as he started eyeing T.K.'s bowl.

T.K. quickly snatched it up and held it away from the two. "No way! This is mine you savages! Get some more of your own!"

Now it was Davis's turn to laugh as he finally caved. "Okay, you two. I'll get you both some more."

"Yay!" exclaimed the pair. They bounced around Davis as he took their empty dishes over to the oven.

The blond smirked as he placed his bowl back onto the table. _"Well moment of truth,"_ thought T.K., as he finally raised the spoon to his lips to take a sip.

"Holy _Crap_!" he exclaimed the second the broth touched his tongue, startling Davis into dropping the ladle back into the pot with a loud **_plop!_**

"Huh? What is it? What's wrong?" inquired the goggle-head in concern as he spun back around. T.K. hardly ever swore, so he must have really screwed something up!

"D-Davis! This is amazing!" stuttered the blond as he dug back in for another bite. "I knew it was going to be good, but _wow!_ This is really something special!"

"I-" was all Davis could say as he fought the blush trying to stretch across his face. "W-Well you're welcome."

The goggle-head spun back around to face the oven, trying to hide his embarrassment. He quickly poured out another two bowls for their digimon. Davis wasn't used to... well... praise of any kind, and _especially_ not from T.K.

" _Maybe the talk did work,"_ thought the goggle-head as he began to settle down. _"We do seem to be opening up a lot more to each other... I hope it stays this way."_

When Davis finally got his emotions under control, he turned back around to see T.K. once again fighting with the digimon to save his soup bowl.

It made Davis genuinely smile, knowing that something he had made brought so much happiness to his friends.

"Guys!" called Davis with a small laugh. "Calm down! Leave T.P. alone, I've got your bowls right here..."

And with that, Davis walked back over to join in the happy moment with them.

* * *

Once they had all eaten their fill, T.K. and Davis sat watching Patamon and Veemon jump around the couch cushions playing tag. Or at least T.K. was, Davis was busy studying the serene look that appeared on T.K.'s face as he gazed at Patamon. It was a gentle, almost vulnerable side that he very rarely saw of the blond.

Davis could always tell there was more to T.K., than meets the eye. On the outside he always seemed like 'Mr. Perfect,' but every so often T.K. would let down his guard and reveal there was something more. But Davis never knew how to get his friend to open up. All his tactics that worked for Ken and Kari, never seemed to work for his other friend. That was the main reason he wanted to apologize, so T.K. would feel safe to open up more. The door to who T.K. really was seemed to be opening a crack, but it wasn't quite open yet.

Well... maybe it was finally time to ram it down. Subtlety was never his strong suit anyway.

"Why do you look at him like that?" asked Davis in a hushed tone as he stared at T.K.'s profile.

The blond broke out in a slight blush as he turned to his friend startled. "I b-beg your pardon?"

"Patamon," clarified the goggle-head as he narrowed his eyes. "The way you look at him sometimes... it's _odd._ "

"Oh," replied T.K. as he nervously glanced away. Should he tell Davis this? The pair had already been pretty open with each other today. Davis and Matt weren't the only ones with masks. T.K. tried to be the best student, son, brother, and friend he could be. But it always took a toll on him. It was hard to be strong for everyone else all the time. T.K. wasn't sure when he had become so internalized with his real emotions. If he had to take a guess, it was most likely sometime after he returned from his first trip to the Digital World. But even before then, the blond had been an excellent listener and often helped with other peoples' burdens. But sharing his own? _That_ was something else entirely. Other than Kari, T.K. had never told anyone about what had happened to Patamon. Everyone else in the original group had witnessed it. And since no one else knew about the digimon, who could he confide in? There were times when it felt like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Maybe it was finally time for him to shed a little of it off.

"Well, yeah, I guess so... I did lose him once..." whispered T.K. sadly as he watched the digimon start a tickle fight.

"What'd yah mean?" asked Davis with a confused blink. "When you guys were blocked from the Digital World?"

"No, I... it was when Patamon first digivolved into Angemon," confessed T.K. with a shake of his head. "He... was destroyed."

"Wait, _what?_ You mean like Wormmon was?" Davis look back at him horrified. He never knew that. No wonder T.K. always seemed so protective of Patamon.

"Yeah and at the time, I kinda didn't know he was going to come _back_ ," stated the blond as his voice cracked a bit on the last word.

"Oh..." said Davis with remorse. "Dude... I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No," stopped T.K. with a shake of his head. "It's alright. I've kept that pain locked away in my heart for a long time now. It's about time I let it out."

The blond then went back to staring at Patamon. "I've lost a great deal in my life, but when I thought I had lost Patamon... and at such a young age... it affects you, you know?"

"Yeah," Davis agreed sadly.

"I deeply treasure each and every moment we still have together, because we almost never had another one..."

T.K. then turned to Davis and stared him right in the eye. "Patamon is my _heart_ and I very nearly lost him because he was trying to protect me from Devimon. Matt and Tai have told me hundreds of times that it wasn't my fault, but... it still haunts me. That's why I'm so hard on you when we're battling in the Digital World, I never want- I mean, I _don't-_ "

 _There_ was the real T.K., he was sure of it now. The hard worker with a heart of gold, and selfless almost to a fault. He took on all the responsibility so that one else would have to. The one who would pay any price to see that his friends' hopes became reality. All this time... Davis had thought T.K. was being so critical because he disliked him. But he could see it now, T.K. wasn't shoving Davis's weaknesses into his face to hurt him; he was trying to prevent his friend from making similar mistakes. The Digital World wasn't a video game, and if you mess up, you can't just hit restart and try again. The stakes are very high when the fate of two worlds is the prize. T.K. simply didn't want Davis to have to pay the same price in order to understand.

Ugh, he really felt like an idiot now.

"It's okay, man," assured Davis as he placed a supportive hand on T.K.'s shoulder. "I get it, you don't have to say anything more."

"I... thanks," sighed T.K. as some of his chains of guilt fell away, he felt lighter than he had in years. "It felt good to finally tell someone other than Kari."

"You know... if you ever want to go into detail, I'm here. And contrary to popular belief, I'm a pretty good listener," teased the goggle-head with a light smirk.

"I'll keep that in mind," accepted the blond with a small smile. He just might take Davis up on that one day.

"Come on," he encouraged, nodding his head towards their digimon. "Let's go make a few more memories, huh?"

T.K. simply snorted at this and agreed, "Why not? But then we have to get back to work, okay?"

"Deal," laughed the goggle-head as he smacked T.K. lightly on the arm. "Tag! You're it!"

"Gah! _Davis!_ Come on, really?" cried the blond as the digimon both squealed in delight and quickly ran with Davis into the other room to escape T.K.'s ticklish vengeance.

* * *

After some well deserved playtime, the pair went right back to studying, much to Davis's dismay. But the rest of their work flew by rather quickly, and finally it was time for Davis to head home.

As the goggle-head packed up his bag to leave, he explained, "So I left some more soup heating on the stove for Matt and your dad. Because sorry dude, there is no way I'm going back into that fridge."

"Fair enough," replied T.K. with a sly grin as he reached out his hand. "Well... it's been fun, Davis. See you tomorrow at school."

Davis grabbed the offered hand and shook it enthusiastically. "Yeah, see yah!"

"Bye, guys!" called DemiVeemon from the backpack as Davis quickly spun around and went out the door.

"Bye..." whispered T.K. as he slowly let his still waving hand fall back to his side. Today's revelations had left him with a lot to think about.

As the blond was just starting to clean up, Matt and T.K.'s father arrived home.

"We're back son," called Mr. Ishida as both he and Matt entered. "Did you and Davis get a lot of studying done?"

"Actually, yeah, we did," answered T.K. happily as Mr. Ishida went into the kitchen and washed his hands.

"Good!" the man exclaimed as he then reached out and grabbed the door handle of the fridge. "Now, let's see what we have for-"

"Uh, Dad, I wouldn't-"

But T.K.'s warning came too late as he watched his father stare horrified into the refrigerator. They could all hear a distinct _Rattle! Rattle!_ coming from inside.

 _ **SLAM!**_

"Yeeze!" exclaimed T.K.'s dad. "That's the last time I ever take home leftovers from the Kamiya's! So uh... we got anything else in the house to eat?"

"Uh yeah, Dad," said Matt with a sly grin. "Just follow your nose."

"Hey, nice! Where'd you get the soup from, Son?" asked Mr. Ishida as he ladled out two bowls for both him and Matt.

"Actually, Davis made it from scratch," admitted T.K. with a causal shrug as both Matt and their father stared at him in shock.

"The Motomiya boy made this? ...You sure it's safe to eat?" Mr. Ishida asked uncertainly as he sniffed the bowl.

"Totally," confirmed T.K. with a wide grin. "It's really good, I think you both will like it."

"Okay..." said Matt just as cautiously as he sat down at the table beside his father. "But if we have to go to the hospital, we're blaming you."

T.K. simply snorted into his hand, knowing exactly what was going to happen the second they took a bite.

"Holy!" cried Mr. Ishida as he immediately started inhaling the rest of the bowl.

"T.K., are you freaking serious? Davis actually _made_ this?!" exclaimed Matt as he continued eating with a look of pure awe.

"Yup, Patamon's still passed out in the other room in a deep food coma," confirmed T.K. as he gestured to hall. "His final words were, and I quote, 'It was _so_ worth it.'"

"Boys!" suddenly declared Mr. Ishida when he placed down his empty bowl. "I have come to a decision!

Both sons looked at him with raised, expectant eyebrows.

"We are adopting Davis," he said determinedly.

T.K. slapped his forehead. "Dad, we can't adopt Davis. He already has a family."

"Okay... fine," conceded the man with a bit of a pout. "New plan! That Jun girl who likes Matt, she's his sister, right?"

"Yes..."

"Perfect! Matt, you're marrying Davis's sister."

Matt nearly spat his soup halfway across the room. "Dad! There is no way that I would ever-"

"Son, take another bite of the soup and _then_ tell me."

Matt took another slow, savory bite, and then stared at the bowl in deep contemplation.

T.K. felt his eye begin to twitch. "Oh my god, Matt!" he yelled in disbelief. "You aren't seriously thinking about this!"

"Well... Dad has a point," offered the rocker with a sigh, "it's a valid option."

Mr. Ishida nodded in agreement just as T.K. reached up and slapped his head again.

It was then, that the doorbell suddenly started ringing. "T.Q.! Dude, open up! I was halfway home when I realized I left my history book in Matt's room!"

"Ugh..." groaned T.K. as he went to open the door.

"Hi, again," chirped DemiVeemon sleepily as Davis ducked back into the apartment.

"Sorry dude, the stupid thing totally slipped my- Oh, hey! Hi there, Matt and Mr. Ishida!" exclaimed Davis as he noticed the pair sitting in the kitchen.

"There's our new family member!" declared Mr. Ishida as he got up from the table and greeted Davis with a vigorous hand shake.

"Dad!" exclaimed Matt clearly aghast. "I said I would only _consider_ it, nothing more!"

Davis turned to T.K., giving him a look of 'WTF' as he whispered out of the side of his mouth, "T.B., I think your family's finally lost it."

"You're telling me," muttered T.K. right back. "You might want to put a warning label on that soup of yours that it may cause _insanity._ "

Davis simply blinked back at him confused.

T.K. then went off to find Davis's book as Matt finally decided to take pity on the poor goggle-head and explain why they were acting so weird.

As he searched Matt's room, T.K. suddenly snorted to himself in thought, _"Patamon was right, Davis is the cause of insanity. "_

When the blond finally returned with the lost item, he heard Davis reply, "Oh! So you really liked it that much? Cool! Thanks."

"Yes, it was quite the treat for Matt and I," complemented Mr. Ishida. "We hardly ever have time to cook."

"Huh... you don't say..." said Davis as he got a thoughtful look on his face. "Well then, you know what? Why don't we make this a weekly thing?"

"What?" asked T.K. startled as he held out the book for Davis. "You serious?"

"Sure!" exclaimed the goggle-head confidently. "I'd love to have some new guinea pig- I mean _taste_ testers to try out my creations!"

Davis then grabbed the book with his left hand and draped a friendly arm over the back of T.K.'s shoulders.

"Of course, we can't leave T.K. out of it, can we?" asked Davis with a sly grin and a wink. "So why don't you invite your mom along as well? I'm sure she could use a break from cooking, too."

" _What in the heck are you-"_ thought T.K. as he stared at Davis stunned.

"Actually... that sounds like a pretty good idea," agreed Mr. Ishida as finished the last of his soup and got up to get some more. "Ask your mom if she'd be up for it once she's back, Son."

"I..." was all T.K. could say. _Why_ had he? _How_ did he? Did Davis truly know what he had just done?! After all this time, his family was actually going to sit down and eat a meal again, _together_. Of all the things he had ever hoped for in his life, his family being whole again had always been the strongest.

Did Davis know how much this meant to him?

Once Davis removed his arm, T.K. could no longer hold back the shiver of shock that suddenly ran through his body.

"Well, I'd better get going," offered the goggle-head with an unassuming smile as he quickly stuffed the book back into his backpack, being careful not to wake the now sleeping DemiVeemon. "See yah at school tomorrow, dude."

As Davis waved and then reached to open the door, T.K. finally snapped out of his reverie.

"Wait!" he called out, his voice slightly cracking with the force of the emotions running through him.

Davis turned back to him with a questioning eyebrow.

"Hold up," said T.K. almost desperately, "I-I'll walking you home."

"Uh... you really don't have to, I can-"

"Well, too bad, because I insist," cut off the blond as he quickly grabbed his coat. "I'll be back in a bit guys, okay?"

"Sure, Son. Just don't take too long," said Mr. Ishida as he ate another bite of ramen.

Matt simply smirked as T.K. passed, giving him an inquiring glance.

"Yes, _fine_ , you were right. Stop being so smug about it," muttered back T.K. as he headed out the door after Davis.

" _Very sneaky, Davis,"_ thought Matt as he watched the door close behind his brother. _"I think Ken's been rubbing off on you, well done."_

And with that, Matt simply grabbed his bowl and stood up to get a second helping of ramen soup.

* * *

For about three city blocks, the pair walked in tense silence.

And incredibly, it was T.K. who finally broke it with the question of, "Why?"

"Huh?" inquired Davis in returned as he came to an abrupt stop. "Why, what?"

"Davis, please don't play dumb right now," pleaded T.K. as he stared at his friend. "You were nervous about just cooking for Patamon and I, and don't deny it, I could tell. So I don't... _why,_ Davis? _"_

Davis's happy-go-lucky mask finally fell away. "Because I know how much it means to you..."

" _How?_ I never-"

"The Dream World, when I broke you out," he explained with a serious frown. "I only saw quick flashes… but it was enough. Honestly, I kinda had a feeling before then, I mean... with folks like yours, I can understand it dude."

T.K. glanced down and away, as if he were ashamed to look Davis in the eye.

"Hey, I saw an opportunity and I took it," reassured Davis as he stepped closer and placed a supportive hand on T.K.'s shoulder. "At worst, you all get food poisoning, and at best… well, you never know. At the very least, it's a chance for them to clear the air, kinda like we did."

"Y-You didn't have to do that, you know?" stuttered out T.K., trying to hold back the tears he felt stinging in his eyes.

"Well, yeah," agreed Davis with a small shrug. "But I'd be a pretty shitty friend, if I hadn't T.K."

This was Davis, he was certain of it. This kind, caring person, who would sacrifice every ounce of his dignity to make someone smile. His love for life almost infectious, happiness and joy overflowing from his very being. The one who always seemed to know how to take a bad situation and turn it right on it's head. He'd face anyone or anything without hesitation that dared to threaten his beloved friends. He was a little like a mix of both Matt and Tai, but still a unique person all his own.

This made the blond suddenly burst out in hysterical laughter. "Matt was right, you two really are alike!"

"Hey, watch it now!" exclaimed Davis with a furious blush as he removed his hand. "What does that mean, _exactly_?"

"And you used my name again, twice," pointed out T.K. with a teasing grin.

"Yeah, well don't get used to it!" stated the goggle-head defensively as he gave the cackling blond a playful shove. "Because the day I ever use it again, you'll know something is _seriously_ wrong!"

"Duly noted," replied T.K. as he wiped away a tear of laughter. "Come on, let's get you home. And Davis... really, thank you."

Davis simply snorted and rolled his eyes. "Sure, whatever. No reason to get all sappy about it." But T.K. could tell he was touched.

And so, the pair walked off into the night, both knowing that their friendship had finally taken an important step in the right direction.

* * *

"Hey, Kari?" called Tai the next morning as he looked warily into the fridge. "Did you ever send that Numemon that popped out of the computer a few days ago, back to the Digital World?"

"Wah? Nob, I taught heb waz till in dah ridge," mumbled a stuffy-nosed Kari as she walked out of her bedroom. "I gab hib sum of Mum's old m'eatloaf to eat, w'hy?"

"Uh... because he's not in here anymore," said Tai in concern as he pointed into the empty appliance.

"WAH?!" cried Kari as she grabbed the refrigerator door and stared in horror at the fact that there was nothing there. "I- wher' is heb?"

"You... don't think that Mom's cooking was so bad that... it _deleted_ him, do you?" asked Tai, biting his lip worriedly.

"I... hobe not..." replied Kari as they both gave each other a concerned glance and then when back to staring at the still disturbingly empty fridge.

* * *

 **~The End~**

* * *

 **12/02/15: Update!** I have two new Digimon one-shot stories loosely connected to this one now out! They are written in Davis's perspective and give more depth to his overall backstory. They are called: **"Why I Reached Out"** and **"Wrong Choice."** So please check them out on my author's page, if you have time.

 **Author's Notes:** Well, there you have it people! The end of this one-shot that turned into a three part fic. So... did I get anyone to think for a second that Mrs. Kamiya's horrible cooking had actually achieved sentience? No? Darn! Well I tried. **And just so we are clear, I don't think all divorced couples should get back together, it all depends on the situation and the people. In this case, I feel there's at least room for them to become friends at this point, especially for their kids sakes.** But as I said, every family and situation is different. My main goal was to illustrate just how much Davis really does care about T.K. by giving him this chance. Hopefully, I got that point across. Overall, I think it turned out pretty well, but who I really want to hear from is all of you! Anyway, so now that you're done reading, **please remember to read, fav and review!** Feed back from readers is very important, so please try to do so to all the authors on FFN whenever you can. And I don't just write in Digimon fandoms I also have lots of other fics in Naruto, Harry Potter, and lots more. So check out my author's page if you are interested.

Well that's it for me! Write you all again later!


End file.
